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"Brilliant Move" - Chess.com - But Why?

I was playing a tournament on Chess.com and received a "Brilliant Move" in the post game analysis. I haven't received this before and was curious of the following. [FEN ""] 1. d4 d5 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 c5 4. Nc3 Nc6 5. g3 dxc4 6. e3 Nf6 7. Bd2 a6 8.…
Dheebs
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Is pawns supporting pawns a good opening strategy?

For my opening strategy in most chess games I play, I usually move my pawns forward two, then one in an alternating strategy, until I have a sort of WWW shape with my pawns. That way, if anyone takes a pawn at the top, a pawn at the bottom can…
JXPheonix
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Resignation when a draw is offered

In a recent online game, I offered a draw when the endgame is clearly drawing. To my surprise, instead of replying to my draw offer, my opponent resigned. I have no idea why they did so and my best guess is a misclick. I am brainstorming and I guess…
Zuriel
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What are openings which were once thought good, but are now shown to be inferior?

Are there any openings that were once often played, but are now known to be very bad moves?
Hugo Sereno Ferreira
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Is it bad etiquette to try to make an opponent lose on time when a position is clearly drawn?

The other day I was playing a rapid game (30 minutes each side) online. I got into time trouble but I managed to convert the position into a drawn endgame. (Not just a theoretical draw—a clear draw for both sides.) In the final moments of the game,…
Joe
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Why do points matter in trading pieces?

I am a beginner in chess and I am following the tutorials on Chess.com and reading The Complete Idiot's Guide to Chess. In the tutorials about capturing pieces, it is common to count the points in trading pieces. For example, say I can capture a…
Fatih Güven
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What moves solve this mate in 2?

It’s White to move and mate in 2 moves. [FEN "7r/1p3Q1p/2q5/3bk3/1Q2p3/2P5/r2P2PP/2KR4 w - - 0 1"]
Onq
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What to play if someone ignores your King's Gambit?

So I'm an (unranked, but ~1500 on lichess) amateur who's been working on developing my opening strategy for some time, and I've basically been using the King's Gambit for a variety of reasons: It is easy to play and fairly straightforward Castling…
Lt. Commander. Data
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The difficulty of finding the winning idea in this knight versus bishop endgame

I recently finished a tournament game on chess.com as Black that ended in a draw. It was a knight (me) vs. bishop endgame with pawns strewn across the board. Here is the entire game. [Title "jasonhaller-RewanDemontay, NARWHALS Winter Daily…
Rewan Demontay
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How are online tactic exercises ratings calculated?

There are several sites that give you a tactics rating changing while you solve or fail the exercises. How do they calculate the problems rating? Do they use engines to calculate the difficulty or strong players evaluate the difficulty exercise by…
user18196
15
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4 answers

Did Fischer really have a 180 IQ?

I have read many times that Bobby Fischer had an IQ of 180. Did he really have that high of an IQ? Does anyone have proof that he was ever even tested (like a citation from an early book about him)? Sure, Fischer was an intelligent guy, but I tend…
PhishMaster
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Pros and cons of playing correspondence chess

I play correspondence daily. My reason to do it is I am weak in openings and I can survive to the middlegame because I have access to databases; and I want to learn how to survive the opening and to play properly at 90+30 over-the-board games. Do…
user18196
15
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3 answers

Was playing with both hands ever allowed in chess?

I was watching this video on Youtube of an Armageddon game between Vladimir Kramnik and Garry Kasparov which happened in 1995. It can be seen that Kasparov is using both of his hands for some moves. (For example, around the times 9:39, and 9:48) My…
srk_cb
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Where to start with a child learning chess?

From here: What is the best age to learn chess? it seems that consensus is that that kids can start learning chess at almost any age. From around 5 years old they are big enough to learn the names of the pieces and the rules for how each piece…
Thomas
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Can black play the London system?

After 1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nf3, Black usually plays Nf6 or e6 (which blocks his light-square bishop) and I wonder if it is possible for him to adopt the ideas from the London System and play Bf5 before e6. This is a rare move but I wonder if it is…
Zuriel
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